WINNIPEG, Man. — For the second time this season, Burlington, Ont., talent Michael Gligic was crowned Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Week after shooting a 4-under 68 Sunday to finish in fourth place at 17 under overall. Gligic was also the low Canadian at 2016 The Players Cup when it was held at Niakwa Country Club.

“I three-putted one so it was kind of a sour start. I was in the middle of the fairway downwind, easy shot,” said Gligic. To lead with bogey is pretty disappointing, but made birdie on the second hole, pretty tough par-3 and that got me going again. It was just pretty steady out there.”

Fellow Canadian James Love finished one shot behind him at 16 under overall, good for a tie for fifth. Love is now inside the top 60 on the Order of Merit, rising to No. 46 from No. 83.

Michael Gellerman felt he did everything necessary to win at The Players Cup this week. He carded just one bogey and one double-bogey over 72 holes and finished at 20 under overall. The only problem was Tyler McCumber was also in the field.

“This must have been how those guys felt in 2000 when Tiger was playing or something,” Gellerman said. “ … It’s hard to complain much more, but the guy is obviously playing well and he’s a super good guy. I’m happy for him. But I want to beat him. I’m sick of losing to him.”

McCumber won for the third time in four starts, as the 27-year-old shot a 5-under 67 to finish at 22 under overall, two shots clear of the runner-up Gellerman. The University of Florida product is 90 under par over his last 16 rounds, which has included consecutive wins at the Osprey Valley Open and Syncrude Oil Country Championship, as well as a third-place finish at the ATB Financial Classic. He needs one more win over the final two Mackenzie Tour events to match Dan McCarthy’s record of four victories in a season, set in 2016.

“I don’t know, I haven’t really thought about it that way,” McCumber said. “That’s really funny he said that. No, maybe in a very, very small way. I do feel confident, I do feel good in my game. I feel good in the process of getting ready for tournaments. And so I don’t know how that’s portrayed or how it’s seen, but it does feel good.”

McCumber began the day one shot ahead of Drew Weaver, but quickly distanced himself from the field with birdies on four of his first six holes. His lead grew to as many as five shots at one point, and he officially put the tournament out of reach with one final birdie on the par-5 No. 16. He did not record a bogey over his final 55 holes.

“I was fortunate to come out of the gates early and get some momentum going my way,” he said. “I had a couple birdies there and then kind of just kept it going.”

McCumber’s win keeps him atop the Order of Merit for a third consecutive week, as he now leads all players with $135,700. He is almost $60,000 ahead of Zach Wright, who sits in second place with $75,880.

But he’s not ready to anoint himself just yet, no matter what his friend Gellerman says.

“It feels like something, I guess the best way to put it, is I feel more professional in my process of what I’m doing,” McCumber said. “And I think that carries into more confidence on the course and off the course. But I wouldn’t say it’s a Tiger run.”

GREENSBORO, N.C. — When the sun set on the Wyndham Championship, Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., and David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., were tied for eighth to become the top Canadians at the tournament.

With four consecutive birdies on the front-nine, an eagle on the 15th hole and a round closing birdie, Taylor fired a scorching 63 to finish the PGA regular season 119th in the FedEx Cup standings, qualifying for the FedEx Cup playoffs and earning full PGA status for next year.

Hearn also ended the tournament in a tie for eighth at 15 under after carding a 70 in the final round. He finishes short of the top-125 at No. 138.

Brandt Snedeker won the Wyndham Championship on Sunday for his ninth PGA Tour title, four days after opening with an 11-under 59.

Snedeker closed with a 65 for a three-stroke victory in the regular-season finale, breaking a tie with C.T. Pan on the final hole with a birdie and Pan’s double bogey in the group ahead.

Snedeker finished at 21-under 259 for his first win since 2016 and his second at the tournament, but first at Sedgefield Country Club.

Pan shot a 66 to tie for second with Webb Simpson.

Simpson matched his career-best with a 62.

Snedeker opened the tournament with the 59 that made him the first tour player this year and just the 10th ever to break 60, then on the final day played 29 holes at 5 under to seal it.

He was never in danger of missing the Fed Ex Cup playoffs for the first time in his career, but the victory gave him a huge jump on the points list. He climbed 50 spots to No. 30 on the list, after arriving at 80th _ which would have been his lowest finish.

For a while, it looked like it might come down to a playoff between Pan and Snedeker, who were even at 20 under entering Pan’s final hole.

But the 26-year-old from Taiwan ran into big trouble: Playing in the threesome immediately ahead of Snedeker, Pan shanked his tee shot out of bounds off a cart path down the right side of the fairway and needed four shots, including the penalty stroke, to reach the green on the par 4.

With the victory seemingly inevitable at that point, Snedeker sank a 20-foot birdie putt on the 18th to end it.

Severe weather led organizers to suspend the third round with 30 players still on the course and bring everybody back to Sedgefield on Sunday morning, leaving Snedeker with 29 holes to play on the final day.

He wrapped up that round with a one-stroke lead at 16 under before heading back onto the course. Since the tournament moved here in 2008, every third-round leader who was that far under par has gone on to win.

The other subplot at Sedgefield is the last-minute push for the playoffs, which begin next week at The Northern Trust in New Jersey with the top 125 players qualifying. With every player who was between Nos. 122-127 missing the cut, there figured to be plenty of movement near the bubble.

Sergio Garcia will miss the playoffs for the first time in his career after winding up 131st on the points list. Harris English and Nick Taylor played their way in, with Taylor saying he would “kind of soak it in and realize that we’ve finally done it.

“It’s really satisfying to finish it off,” he said.

WINNIPEG, Man.— Michael Gligic is the top Canadian heading into the weekend at 12 under after a fire round on Friday at the Players Cup saw him register eight birdies and only one bogey

Rounds of 67-65 leave him tied for second with six others, just one shot behind leader Alex Chiarella. The 28-year-old finished T2 at The Players Cup in 2016, when the event was held Niakwa Country Club.

“It was pretty good. The front nine could have been a lot better, too. I just couldn’t get anything going, really,” said the Burlington, Ont., talent. “I had it in there close a few times, missed probably a 3- and 6-footer for birdie and just didn’t have any momentum going. I made the turn, made a putt on 10 and on the back nine I was kind of making them from everywhere.”

Other Canadians to make the cut include James Love (tied for ninth), Aaron Crawford (tied for 33rd) and Jared du Toit (tied for 33rd). Riley Wheeldon, the leading Canadian on the Order of Merit, needed birdie on the final hole to make it on the number before carding a bogey.

Alex Chiarella is still a relative unknown on the Mackenzie Tour. He began the year with conditional status and appeared in only two events prior to this week. Even as he first climbed his way to the top of the field Thursday at The Players Cup, course leaderboards left a blank space where his name should have been.

Tournament officials ensured his name cards would be there Friday. Good thing, too. The 24-year-old continued his surprising start with a 6-under 66, moving to 13 under overall. He will take a one-shot lead over seven players into Saturday’s third round.

“My game has felt good recently,” Chiarella said. “I just haven’t been able to put good scores together. But things clicked the last couple days and I’m looking forward to the weekend.”

The University of San Diego product has carded just one bogey over his first 36 holes, which came Friday on the par-4 10th. But he quickly rebounded with a birdie on No. 11, an eagle on No. 13, and two more birdies on Nos. 14 and 18. The eagle, his second of the week, came on the par-5 No. 13. He hit driver down the left side, followed with a 5-iron from 215 yards out, then connected on a putt from 12 feet.

“You can hit a lot of drivers out here, so I’m just trying to bomb driver and give myself the best angle to the pin on each green and it’s worked out,” the third-year pro said. “I’ve hit my driver well this week and hopefully it continues.”

George Cunningham, Daniel Stringfellow, David Pastore, Ian Holt, Zach Wright, Cody Blick and Canadian Michael Gligic are all tied for second at 12 under. Blake Olson and Canadian James Love are two shots back at 11 under.

“Every week has been like this, so I’ve come to expect it,” he said. “Incredible talent out here, it blows my mind. With everyone I play with, we always talk about how we can’t believe how low the scores are.

“It’s just a really solid group of guys and anyone out here can win. Hopefully I (can) be that anyone.”

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Four Canadians survived the cut on Friday at the Wyndham Championship. David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., was the top Canadian for the second consecutive day thanks to a bogey-free front-nine. The 39-year-old registered only one bogey, ultimately shooting a 67 to head into the weekend tied for fourth.

Nick Taylor of Abbostsford, B.C., also cracked the top ten, sitting in a tie for tenth at 8 under. Two other Canadians — Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., and Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont. — also made the cut at 6 under and 4 under, respectively.

Brandt Snedeker couldn’t block out the buzz that surrounded his first-round 11-under 59 at the Wyndham Championship. He refocused just in time to reclaim the lead.

Snedeker followed his historic opening score with a 67 on Friday to take a two-stroke lead into the weekend at the Wyndham Championship.

A day after becoming the 10th player in PGA Tour history to break 60, Snedeker moved to 14-under 126 halfway through the final PGA Tour event before the playoffs.

“You hear people telling you every two seconds, ‘Mr. 59,’ or saying how cool it was to watch it,” Snedeker said. “So, yes, totally on your mind.”

D.A. Points shot a 64 to reach 12 under _ one stroke ahead of C.T. Pan, who also had a 64. David Hearn, Peter Malnati, Keith Mitchell, Harris English, Brett Stegmaier and Sergio Garcia were 9 under.

Snedeker, the 2012 FedEx Cup champion, won this tournament in 2007 before it moved across town to the par-70 Sedgefield Country Club. He had the tour’s first 59 of the year during the first round.

But it wasn’t easy to follow a score like that. Of the nine previous players who have broken 60 on the tour, six had to play the next day and only one has shot better than 65 in that round: Justin Thomas, who had a 64 in the second round of last year’s Sony Open.

“You can’t ignore it, you can’t try to forget about it,” Snedeker said. “Hardest thing is trying to get back into a rhythm. … Now I’m better equipped for the next time I shoot 59 and play the next day.”

By the time Snedeker teed off Friday afternoon, that low score had held up for a one-stroke lead. It temporarily slipped away when he had three bogeys on the front nine.

He reclaimed the lead late in his round with some nifty putting. He sank two putts longer than 30 feet, one for eagle on the par-5 15th and another for birdie on the par-4 16th, and wrapped up with the best two-round score at this tournament since Carl Pettersson’s 125 a decade ago.

“When I finally convinced myself to hit a few putts, they started going in,” Snedeker said. “Over 72 holes, you’re going to have stretches where balls don’t go in the hole, you’ve got to be able to kind of overcome, be patient, wait for the long ones to fall, and luckily I made a couple coming down the stretch.”

Points, who has made only one cut since January and failed to reach the weekend in 19 of his 24 tournaments this season, had a strong front nine with three birdies and an eagle on the par-5 fifth hole, where he sank a 40-foot putt. He has finished in the top 20 at this tournament twice since 2014, and after starting far off the bubble at No. 214 on the points list, could play his way into the playoffs this weekend.

“Basically, I know this is possibly my last event of the year, so I haven’t been grinding really hard,” Points said. “It seems to be paying off.”

Pan, a 26-year-old from Taiwan, had birdies on three of his final four holes to climb the leaderboard. He sank a 20-foot birdie putt on No. 17 and an 8-footer on the 18th to match the best round of his young career. He also shot 64s last year at the Travelers Championship and the RSM Classic.

“I love this course,” Pan said, adding that his “trajectory tends to be lower than compared to other guys, so I think I have an advantage here.”

Among the other highlights: Brian Gay had the day’s best round, a 63 tarnished only by a bogey on his final hole on which he missed a 4-foot par putt. And Mitchell opened with five consecutive birdies to briefly raise the possibility of a second sub-60 score in two days, before slipping back later in his round.

“It’s definitely a different feeling,” Mitchell said. “But it’s a feeling you try to get comfortable with because you want to be in that zone.”

A key subplot at Sedgefield every year is the push by bubble players to earn post-season spots. The top 125 players on the points list make the field for the Northern Trust in New Jersey, and everyone from No. 122 to No. 132 is playing this weekend.

Bill Haas, who at No. 150 is in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time, made the cut at 3 under. Garcia, at No. 131, also is trying to make it for the 12th straight year. Johnathan Byrd _ who at No. 183 probably needs to win or finish alone in second place to earn enough points to qualify _ remains in the mix at 8 under.

“It’s kind of an easy mentality in a sense,” Byrd said. “Just got to play amazing or go home, or go to the (Web.com Tour) finals.”

VICTORIA, B.C. – Amateur golfers over the age of 25 will gather for the 32nd playing of the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship at Victoria Golf Club from Aug. 20-24.

The field of 156 amateur golfers will navigate the course, surrounded by West Coast beauty, craggy shorelines, lush fairways and challenging breezes. Founded in 1893, Victoria Golf Club is the second oldest golf course in North America on its original location.

“We are truly honoured to host this prestigious tournament at Victoria Golf Club,” said General Manager Scott Kolb. “We look forward to challenging this strong field with our historic golf course, in addition to showcasing the beautiful city of Victoria and all it has to offer.”

Graham Cooke of Hudson, Que., captured the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur title seven times between 1987 and 2002. He is among a group of five other players who have captured this championship on multiple occasions, including 2014, 2015 and 2016 winner Garrett Rank of Elmira, Ont.

Cooke and Rank join four other past Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur champions competing in this event – Dave Bunker (2008-2010), Kevin Carrigan (2012-2013), Garth Collings (2003) and defending champion Todd Fanning. Bunker, Rank and Cooke are the only players to win the tournament three years in a row.

“We are thrilled to bring this talented field to Victoria Golf Club. The Mid-Amateur is a great opportunity for Canadian amateurs to find success and experience on a national stage,” said Tournament Director Akash Patel. “This beautiful course is in great condition and sure to draw out some exciting competition.”

In 2017, Fanning finished at 10 under par, finding himself in a three-man playoff at Wascana Country Club.  He would eventually emerge victorious on the fourth playoff with an eight-foot putt for par. Fanning will look to become the seventh player with back-to-back wins at the championship.

The first round will take place on Aug. 21 and the field will be reduced to the low 70 and ties for the final two rounds.

The championship was first contested in 1987 and includes an inter-provincial competition which is held over the first 36 holes. In addition, the championship includes a Mid-Master competition for players over the age of 40 that runs concurrently with the tournament.

A supplemental qualifier will be held at Gorge Vale Golf Club on August 19^th, where three spots into the tournament will be awarded. Additional information can be found here.

Team Ontario will attempt to defend its title in the inter-provincial team competition, hoping for their fourth consecutive victory.

In addition to the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur title, the 2018 champion will receive an exemption into the 2019 RBC Canadian Open at Hamilton Golf and Country Club from June 3-9, 2019.

Additional information about the tournament, including the full field and tee-times is available here.

NOTABLES
Garrett Rank of Elmira, Ont.
In 2016, Rank earned his third straight championship win at the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur and is the highest ranked Canadian golfer in the field at No. 88. He recently won both the Ontario Men’s Mid-Amateur and the Investor’s Group Ontario Men’s Amateur. The 30-year-old also earned co-medallist honours at the U.S. Open Qualifier at Ansley Golf Club and a third place finish at the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship.

Dave Bunker of Brampton, Ont.
The 53-year-old won this event three years in a row between 2008-2010. He also won the Investors Group Men’s Mid-Amateur three times, most recently in 2014. Bunker has four top-five finishes in the six events he competed in this season, including a tie for second at Investors Group Ontario Men’s Mid-Am Championship.

Todd Fanning of Winnipeg, Man.
The 50-year-old comes in as the event’s defending champion after rallying in the final round and winning the 2017 tournament in a playoff. Fanning finished third in the Nott Autocorp Men’s Amateur Championship in July.

Kevin Carrigan of Victoria, B.C.
Carrigan won the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship two times in a row in 2012 and 2013 and finished fourth in 2017. The 32-year-old finished third at the B.C. Amateur Championship in 2017 and 2018.

Graham Cooke of Hudson, Que.
With seven victories, Cooke holds the record for most titles at the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship. The 71-year-old has three top-three finishes this year, including a win at the Championnat Senior Montreal at Kanawaki Golf Club.

Garth Collins of Matlock, Man.
The 60-year-old, who won the championship in 2003, finished in second at the 2018 Manitoba Mid-Amateur and fourth at the 2018 Manitoba Senior Championship.

FAST FACTS

• Championship was first contested in 1987 and was originally known as the RCGA Pre-Seniors Championship before it was renamed to its current name in 1989.
• The Inter-Provincial Team Championship for the R. Bruce Forbes Trophy was first conducted in 1992 and is played concurrently over the first two rounds of stroke play.
• Graham Cooke of Hudson, Que. and Stu Hamilton of Brampton, Ont., captured 11 of the first 20 championships played.
• Graham Cooke was the inaugural champion in 1987.
• Graham Cooke has the most event wins with seven.
• The defending champion is Todd Fanning of Winnipeg, Man., who captured gold-medal honours in both the Mid-Amateur and Mid-Master division
• Three players have won the event three times in a row: Garrett Rank, Dave Bunker and Graham Cooke – no one has won it four times straight.
• In 2006, the format was changed from match to stroke play, with a Mid-Master category introduced for golfers over the age of 40.
• In 2017, Team Ontario captured the inter-provincial R. Bruce Forbes Trophy for the third straight year.

ABOUT THE COURSE
Victoria Golf Club

• Founded in 1893
• The oldest 18-hole golf course in Canada in its original location, and second oldest in North America.
• The course began as 14 holes but quickly expanded to 18 in 1895.
• The clubhouse, completed in 1928, is a registered Canadian Historic Place.
• For more than a century, famous names have graced the course, including golfing greats Harry Vardon, Chick Evans, Byron Nelson, Joyce Wethered, Ben Hogan, Al Geiberger, Pat Bradley, George Knudson, Sam Snead, Dawn Coe-Jones and Johnny Miller, to name a few.
• Numerous celebrities such as Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Wayne Gretzky, Pamela Anderson, Kiefer Sutherland and, most recently, Alice Cooper have played at the course.
• More information can be found here.

GREENSBORO, N.C. — With a lot on the line at the Wyndham Championship, David Hearn of Brampton, Ont., was the top Canadian after round one. The 39 year-old fired a 64 to sit in a tie for fourth place.

Fellow Canadians Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., and Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C. carded matching 65s to share a piece of 11th. Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont. and Ben Silverman of Toronto are at 2 under and one over, respectively.

This is the last chance for Silverman, Conners, Taylor and Hearn to get inside the top 125 on the FedEx Cup standings at this event, which is the final championship of the PGA Tour’s 2017-18 regular season.

Brandt Snedeker predicted low scores at the Wyndham Championship — but not this low.

Snedeker shot an 11-under 59 on Thursday, falling one shot shy of matching the PGA Tour record.

He made a 20-foot putt on his final hole to become the 10th player in tour history to break 60. Jim Furyk set the record with a 58 in the final round of the Travelers Championship in 2016.

“I better be smiling,” Snedeker said. “I don’t do this every day.”

This is the third consecutive year the PGA Tour has had a sub-60 round. Snedeker is the first to shoot 59 since Adam Hadwin in the third round of the 2017 Careerbuilder Challenge.

It gave him a four-stroke lead after one round. Ryan Moore and John Oda shot 63s, and Martin Flores, D.A. Points, Brett Stegmaier, David Hearn, Abraham Ancer, Ollie Schniederjans and Jonathan Byrd had 64s.

Snedeker — who said a day earlier that the tournament would turn into a “birdie-fest” — began the round at par-70 Sedgefield Country Club with a bogey at No. 10, and took off from there. He played the front nine in 27, including an eagle 2 on the par-4 sixth hole when he holed out from 176 yards.

After that shot, Snedeker said a 59 felt like a real possibility. He remembered a non-tour event he played in China in which he was one putt from that score, but those thoughts “got in the way.”

“To know what you’re trying to do and step up and have a 20-footer (on the final hole) and know what it means, I was very aware of what was going on, and to knock that putt in was really special,” Snedeker said. “To know I’m a part of a small club on tour and not very many people have done this, really cool feeling right now.”

Snedeker, the 2012 FedEx Cup champion, won the Wyndham in 2007. He broke Si Woo Kim’s 2-year-old Wyndham record of 60 and had the best opening round in this event’s history. Arjun Atwal had a 61 in 2010.

“The trick for him is, he’s playing great. Now he’s just got to rest, relax and start over tomorrow from scratch and go play three more good rounds,” said Furyk, who also shot a 59 at the BMW Championship in 2013. “It’s awesome to see.”

It’s been a somewhat frustrating, turbulent year for Snedeker. He has three top-10 finishes and two missed cuts in his last seven events and has not won on tour since 2016. During his first 16 tournaments of the season, he finished in the top 10 just once.

“Nobody could see this coming — trust me,” Snedeker said. “As much as I tried to positive self-talk myself into playing good, I didn’t see 59 coming today, to be honest with you. … Luckily, it kind of clicked all day today, and hopefully it will keep clicking for the next three days.”

At No. 80 on the points list entering the final event of the tour’s regular season, he’s nowhere near the playoff bubble and his spot at The Northern Trust next week in New Jersey seems safe. But that ranking is his lowest since the tour’s post-season format debuted in 2007.

During his tie for 42nd at the PGA Championship last week in St. Louis, Snedeker says he “kind of found something” when he simplified some swing fundamentals and began to feel better about that part of his game.

Then, he spent the first round showing it off.

Snedeker, who began his round on the back nine, reeled off four consecutive birdies on Nos. 13-16. He then got even hotter on his final nine holes, with six birdies in addition to the shot of the day on No. 6. But he missed a 3-foot birdie putt on No. 8 that would have made a 58 possible.

“Could have been even more special,” he said, “but happy with the way everything turned out.”

Moore, who won here in 2009, made a move up the leaderboard in the afternoon with five birdies in a six-hole span on the front nine. Oda, a second-year pro coming off a tie for third earlier this month in the Barracuda Championship, had three consecutive birdies on the back nine to pull even with Moore.

“You see a round like (Snedeker’s) and maybe kind of encourage you there’s birdies out there, that the course is playing scorable and there’s rounds to be had,” Moore said. “I kind of took that mindset of, well, better get out there and make some birdies if you don’t want to be 10, 11 shots behind by the end of this day. Like, let’s try and close that gap a little bit.”

REGINA, Sask. (Golf Canada) – Golf Canada in partnership with Canadian Pacific (CP) announced today the field of competitors set to challenge for the 2018 CP Women’s Open taking place August 20-26 at The Wascana Country Club in Regina, Sask.

Defending champion and world no. 4 Sung Hyun Park will lead a stellar field that includes world no. 1 Ariya Jutanugarn, world no. 5 Lexi Thompson, world no. 6 Shanshan Feng, world no. 7 Minjee Lee, world no. 9 Jessica Korda and world no. 10 Georgia Hall as well as Canadian superstar Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont.

Park, winner of the 2017 event at Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club headlines a group of six past champions coming to Regina including three-time winner Lydia Ko (2012, 2013, 2015) in search of her record fourth title. Other past champions confirmed include Brittany Lincicome (2011), Katherine Kirk (2008), Cristie Kerr (2006) and Juli Inkster (1984). Previously confirmed past champion Michelle Wie was forced to WD due to injury.

Other global LPGA Tour stars confirmed among the 156-player field include Paula Creamer, Morgan Pressel, Anna Nordqvist, Carlota Ciganda, Nasa Hataoka, Moriya Jutanugarn, Danielle Kang, Charley Hull, Sandra Gal, Caroline Masson, Pernilla Lindberg and Natalie Gulbis.

With the one of the strongest fields on the LPGA Tour, Canada’s National Women’s Open Championship will feature 14 in-year LPGA Tour winners and 89 of the top 100 players on the LPGA Tour’s Official Money List.

“We are thrilled to welcome the world’s best golfers to The Wascana Country Club as the CP Women’s Open proudly makes its first-ever visit to the great province of Saskatchewan,” said Tournament Director Ryan Paul. “The CP Women’s Open will feature one of the strongest fields on the LPGA Tour along with the very best rising talents in Canadian and international golf. Golf fans in the province of Saskatchewan and across Canada will be treated to a world-class event when the stars of the LPGA Tour tip it up in Regina.”

A full field list of players confirmed to compete in the 2018 CP Women’s Open is available by clicking here.

The field of 156 competitors will vie for the US$2.25 million purse with the champion taking home $337,500.

FIFTEEN CANADIANS TO COMPETE AT THE WASCANA COUNTRY CLUB….
Smiths Falls, Ont., native Brooke Henderson, a six-time LPGA Tour winner and CP abassador headlines a list of 15 Canadians set to challenge for the CP Women’s Open.

Joining Henderson are LPGA Tour regulars Alena Sharp of Hamilton, Maude-Aimee LeBlanc of Sherbrooke, Que. and Anne-Catharine Tanguay of Quebec City along with Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont. and Symetra Tour players Jennifer Ha of Calgary, Augusta James of Bath, Ont., Elizabeth Tong of Thornhill, Ont. and Megan Osland of Kelowna, B.C.

Saskatoon, Sask. native and Symetra Tour player Anna Young will have a home crowd advantage as the four-time Saskatchewan Women’s Amateur champion makes her first ever start in the CP Women’s Open.

CP ambassador and Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member Lorie Kane of Charlottetown will make her record tying 28^th start in Canada’s National Women’s Open.

Among the Amateur contingent, three members of Team Canada will compete including National Amateur Squad members Grace St. Germain of Ottawa, Ont. and Naomi Ko of Victoria, B.C. as well as 17-year old National Development Squad athlete Celeste Dao of Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot, Que. Also playing on an exemption is 17-year old Tiffany Kong of Vancouver.

The Canuck contingent will look to become the first Canadian to win an LPGA Tour event in Canada since Jocelyne Bourassa won La Canadienne in 1973.

FINAL FOUR EXEMPTIONS TO BE DECIDED AT ROYAL REGINA GOLF CLUB….
On Monday, August 20, the LPGA Tour will conduct an 18-hole stroke play qualifier at Royal Regina Golf Club to determine the final four exemptions directly into the 2018 CP Women’s Open.

CP HAS HEART IN SUPPORT OF JIM PATTISON CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL
Canadian Pacific will continue its history of making a substantial donation to the host community through its CP Has Heart community investment program. In the four years of CP’s title sponsorship of the CP Women’s Open, $6.5 million has been raised to support children’s heart health in communities across Canada.

This year, the campaign is supporting pediatric cardiology at Saskatchewan’s new Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital in Saskatoon. Funds raised through the CP Women’s Open will help assist a dedicated cardiology space and specialized equipment in the new hospital, currently under construction and scheduled to open in 2019. To find out more or donate click here.

FIRST-EVER CP WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP SUMMIT TO TAKE PLACE DURING TOURNAMENT WEEK
As part of the weeklong excitement of the CP Women’s Open, Golf Canada and Canadian Pacific are proud to announce that the inaugural CP Women’s Leadership Summit will take place Tuesday, August 21 at Hotel Saskatchewan in Regina. Keynote speaker and four-time Olympic gold medalist Hayley Wickenheiser will be joined by Sportsnet host Evanka Osmak; LPGA champion Lorie Kane; CP Vice-President of Grain and Fertilizer, Joan Hardy; adidas golf Canada General Manager, Lesley Hawkins; RBC Senior Manager, Brand Marketing, Shannon Cole; Dr. Andrea Lavoie, Interventional cardiologist with Saskatchewan Health Authority and many more like-minded businesswomen from across the country for a day of networking, empowerment and philanthropy. Click here for more information.

KIDS 17-AND-UNDER GET IN FREE…
Golf Canada and CP are committed to offering a fan friendly, family event with the CP Women’s Open. To introduce more juniors to the sport, children aged 17-and-under get FREE admission to the CP Women’s Open for the entire week.

TICKETS…
Early Week (Mon-Wed) –             Advance pricing $15 I Tournament week $20
Anyday Grounds (Thurs) –             Advance pricing $35 I Tournament week $55
Anyday Grounds (Fri-Sat) –           Advance pricing $40 I Tournament week $55
Anyday Grounds (Sun)   –              Advance pricing $45 I Tournament week $55
Full week entry (Grounds) –         Advance pricing $90 I Tournament week $105
Full week entry (Clubhouse) –     Advance pricing $170 I Tournament week $200 

TELEVISION COVERAGE…
Thursday, August 23 –                     Golf Channel – 8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Friday, August 24 –                           Golf Channel – 8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Saturday, August 25 –                     Golf Channel – 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Sunday, August 26 –                        Golf Channel – 2 p.m. – 5 p.m.

• All times local.

REGINA (Golf Canada) – Golf Canada and Canadian Pacific (CP) are pleased to announce the names of 14 players who have received exemptions into the 2018 CP Women’s Open taking place August 20-26 at the Wascana Country Club in Regina.

Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member and CP ambassador Lorie Kane of Charlottetown, a four-time LPGA Tour winner, will make her record tying 28^th start in Canada’s National Women’s Open.

A trio of Team Canada Young Pro Squad players—Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont., Augusta James of Bath, Ont., and Jennifer Ha of Calgary—have also received an exemption to compete in the 46^th playing of Canada’s National Women’s Open Championship.

Marchand began the season with conditional status on the LPGA Tour, but made the most of her starts on Tour, making the cut in 10 of 12 starts including a T7 finish at the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic. James, a former winner on the Symetra Tour, currently sits 46^th on the Tour’s official money list. She’s made the cut at six of 12 starts including a T3 finish. Ha, a former Alberta amateur standout who played on the LPGA Tour in 2017, is currently in her 3^rd season on the Symetra Tour. Marchand, James and Ha will compete in their 5^th, 5^th and 3^rd CP Women’s Open respectively.

Saskatchewan native Anna Young—currently in her third year on the Symetra Tour—will have a home crowd advantage as the four-time Saskatchewan Women’s Amateur champion makes her first ever start in the CP Women’s Open.

Two other Canadian Symetra Tour players—Elizabeth Tong of Thornhill, Ont., and Megan Osland of Kelowna, B.C., will also compete at Wascana. Tong, a graduate of the Team Canada Amateur Squad, and Osland currently sit 100 and 122 respectively on the Symetra Tour money list.

Celeste Dao of Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot, Que., leads a group of four amateurs exempt into Canada’s lone stop on the LPGA Tour. Dao, a 17-year old member of the Team Canada Development Squad, recently won the 2018 Canadian Junior Girls Championship, as well as the 2018 Mexican Junior Girls Championship. She will make her first ever start in the CP Women’s Open.

National Amateur Squad players Grace St-Germain of Ottawa and Naomi Ko of Victoria, B.C., will also compete in the 2018 CP Women’s Open. St-Germain, 20, finished 7^th at the 2018 Women’s Porter Cup and T1 at both the 2018 NJCAA National Championship and 2018 NJCAA Region 8 Championship as a member of Daytona State College. Ko, heading into her senior year at N.C. State, is a former Canadian Junior Girls champion who finished T33 at the 2018 Canadian Women’s Amateur.

Sixteen-year old Yealimi Noh of Concord, Calif., won the 2018 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship to earn her exemption into the CP Women’s Open. Currently ranked no. 21 on the World Amateur Golf Ranking, Noh is among the hottest amateur golfers on the planet this season with wins at the 2018 U.S. Junior Girls Amateur Championship and 2018 Girls Junior PGA Championship.

Tiffany Kong of Vancouver also earned an exemption after finishing as the low Canadian (T6) at the 2018 Canadian Women’s Amateur Championship. The 17-year old will make her second start in the national championship after Monday Qualifying for the 2015 CP Women’s Open at The Vancouver Golf Club as a 14-year old.

A pair of LPGA Tour veterans—Natalie Gulbis and Becky Morgan—have also accepted an invitation to compete at The Wascana. Gulbis, a long-time fan favourite on the LPGA Tour with a victory and 37 career top-10 finishes on the LPGA Tour, will make her 11^th appearance at the CP Women’s Open while Morgan, a Wales native who has played 18 years on the LPGA Tour will play in Canada’s National Open for the 12^th time.

The players receiving exemptions are added to an already stellar list of golfers who will be competing at the 2018 CP Women’s Open.

No player will generate more excitement than Canadian sensation and CP ambassador Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., who will compete in her eighth career National Women’s Open. Henderson will be joined by seven of the top 10 ranked players in the world, including world no. 1 Ariya Jutanugarn.

Reigning CP Women’ s Open champion Sung Hyun Park will look to defend her title against many of the LPGA’s best, including stars Lexi Thompson, Minjee Lee, Jessica Korda, Shanshan Feng, Anna Nordqvist and many more.

“The CP Women’s Open features arguably the strongest field on the LPGA Tour, as well as the very best rising talents in Canadian and international golf,” said CP Women’s Open Tournament Director Ryan Paul. “Golf fans will be treated to an unbelievable showcase of world-class golf when tournament week kicks off August 20^th.”

Team Canada Amateur Squad players Jaclyn Lee of Calgary and Maddie Szeryk of London, Ont. were also extended tournament exemptions but were forced to decline as timing conflicted with Stage 1 of LPGA Tour Qualifying.

Other Canadians scheduled to compete at the 2018 CP Women’s Open include LPGA Tour regulars Alena Sharp of Hamilton, Anne-Catherine Tanguay of Québec and Maude-Aimee LeBlanc of Sherbrooke, Que.

In total, at least 15 Canadians will be included among the 156 competitors who will vie for the US$2.25 million purse when the CP Women’s Open descends on Wascana and the province of Saskatchewan for the first time ever.

On Monday, August 20, the LPGA Tour will conduct an 18-hole stroke play qualifier at Royal Regina Golf Club to determine the final four exemptions directly into the 2018 CP Women’s Open.

The golfers teeing-it-up at Wascana Country Club will represent one of the strongest fields on the LPGA Tour with more than 92 of the top 100 players on the LPGA Tour Official Money List expected to compete.

CP HAS HEART IN SUPPORT OF JIM PATTISON CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL
Canadian Pacific will continue its history of making a substantial donation to the host community through its CP Has Heart community investment program. In the four years of CP’s title sponsorship of the CP Women’s Open, $6.5 million has been raised to support children’s heart health in communities across Canada.

This year, the campaign is supporting pediatric cardiology at Saskatchewan’s new Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital in Saskatoon. Funds raised through the CP Women’s Open will help assist a dedicated cardiology space and specialized equipment in the new hospital, currently under construction and scheduled to open in 2019.

CP INAUGURAL WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP SUMMIT TO TAKE PLACE DURING TOURNAMENT WEEK
As part of the weeklong excitement of the CP Women’s Open, Golf Canada and Canadian Pacific are proud to announce that the inaugural CP Women’s Leadership Summit will take place Tuesday, August 21 at Hotel Saskatchewan in Regina. Keynote speaker and five-time Olympic medalist Hayley Wickenheiser, will be joined by LPGA Champion Lorie Kane; CP Vice-President of Grain and Fertilizer, Joan Hardy; and many more like-minded businesswomen from across the country for a day of networking, empowerment and philanthropy.

KIDS 17-AND-UNDER GET IN FREE
Golf Canada and CP are committed to offering a fan friendly, family event with the CP Women’s Open. To introduce more juniors to the sport, children aged 17-and-under get FREE admission to the CP Women’s Open for the entire week.

CALGARY, Alta.— Ryan Williams of Surrey, B.C.,, Jared du Toit of Kimberley, B.C., and Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., are all within striking distance after the first round of the ATB Financial Classic on Thursday.

Williams is currently the top Canadian at the tournament, tied for fifth and sitting only two strokes behind the three leaders. The 37-year-old made only a single bogey on his way to a 65, leading Taylor Pendrith and Jared du Toit by one in chase of the Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Week award – though none of the players would complain if the award was accompanied by a tournament victory.

A partial home game for Jared du Toit, who spent his later teen years in Calgary, shot his best number since the Staal Foundation Open, making seven birdies to card a 66.  Du Toit sits comfortably in a tie for 12^th  alongside fellow Team Canada Young Pro Squad member Taylor Pendrith, sitting three shots behind the lead heading into the third round.

If somebody called for a heat check on Thursday at Country Hills Golf Club, it was probably for Tyler McCumber, who finished the first round of the ATB Financial Classic tied for the lead after a course-record matching 63.

Though it’s doubtful that the feeling gets old, the number marked McCumber’s sixth round played in 65 strokes or better in his last nine Mackenzie Tour rounds.

Coming off back-to-back victories at the Osprey Valley Open and Syncrude Oil Country Championship presented by AECON, it would be difficult to find a course better suited for the Ponte Vedra, FL native to contend for the natural hat-trick. The past two seasons, McCumber has walked away from the tournament with T2 and T6 finishes.

“I always like coming here,” said the 25-year-old. “I played here two years prior and had two pretty solid finishes, so it fits my eye.”

Easy to say after carding nine birdies.

The number-one ranked player on the Order of Merit didn’t appear phased by the early-morning smoke that filled the Calgary air due to the recent British Columbia fires, nor the record-breaking heat wave, as McCumber carded three consecutives circles to begin his day.

Adding two more on the front side to make the turn in 31 strokes, the five-time winner of PGA TOUR sanctioned events made four more on the back, and, offset by a single bogey, carded a back-nine 32.

“It was nice to keep the momentum going,” said McCumber. “I think I’ve been working hard on my game and it’s finally clicking; the pieces are coming together at the same time, which is what I’ve been working on.”

On top of the game itself, McCumber notes another positive has been his health. After battling injuries for the better part of a year and a half, McCumber has been healthy since October, which has allowed him to focus on improving the weaknesses in his game that kept him from the winner’s circle in 2017.

So far, so good. Becoming the first player in the PGA TOUR era of the Mackenzie Tour to win back-to-back events last week in Edmonton, McCumber knows that it’s imperative to take advantage of the weeks where everything clicks.

“You can have a great week and not win. The amount of times you win in your career is a handful; if you’re one of the greats, you might win twenty times, and that’s a hall of fame career,” said McCumber. “It’s unlike other sports, so you have to judge yourself based on your own personal criteria.

“If you executed and did all the things leading up to the execution to the best of your ability, that’s how you judge your performance.”

While McCumber has threatened a spot in The Five all season long, he’s joined atop the leaderboard by a pair of golfers who appear to have found their A-game after grinding through the first half of the season.

Jonathan Garrick, who had two top-10 finishes in 2017, including a T2 in Montreal at the Mackenzie Investments Open presented by Jaguar Laval, matched McCumber’s 63 and even threatened a 59 after making birdie on 13 to move to 9-under on the day.

While Garrick sits at 72^nd on the Order of Merit, the 99^th ranked player, Chris Killmer, also fired a 63, including a stretch of five birdies in a row from holes 11-15 en-route to his lowest career Mackenzie Tour round.

LYTHAM ST. ANNES, England — Named in honour of a famous Masters victory, Georgia Hall has her hands on one of the big trophies in women’s golf at the age of 22.

The Englishwoman reeled in long-time leader Pornanong Phatlum in a gripping final-round duel at Royal Lytham to win the Women’s British Open for her first major title on Sunday.

Hull tapped in for a bogey _ her first of the day _ at the last hole to clinch a two-shot victory over Pornanong. Hall then hugged her playing partner from Thailand before being lifted off her feet by her caddie, father Wayne.

It was fitting that Wayne, a former two-handicapper himself, was on the bag to experience the biggest moment of his daughter’s career.

Georgia was born during the 1996 Masters won by English golfer Nick Faldo at Augusta, Georgia. She was named in honour of that victory, which came after Faldo overcame a six-stroke deficit to Greg Norman in the final round.

Twenty-two years later, Hall is the pride of English golf just like Faldo was. And the way Hall kept her composure and kept producing the shots of her life down the stretch, there might be more major titles to come.

Her round of 5-under 67, which included six birdies, saw her finish on 17-under 271.

“I was loving it deep down, hitting the shots under pressure,” said Hall, who barely showed any emotions all round. “To get six birdies in the final round of a major is not bad.”

Hall, who receives a check of $490,000, became the first English major winner since Karen Stupples won this event in 2004, and the fourth overall along with Laura Davies and Alison Nicholas.

She followed Stupples and Catriona Matthew _ in 2009 at Lytham _ as the only British winners of the Women’s British Open since it achieved major status in 2001.

Brooke Henderson (74) of Smiths Falls, Ont., tied for 11th at 6 under par. She had three birdies and three bogeys offset each other, but a double bogey on the par-4 17th hole put her at 2 over for the round.

Roared on under blue skies by the large gallery desperate for a home winner, the 39th-ranked Hall started the day a shot behind Pornanong, who led after the second and third rounds.

From the moment Pornanong curled in a long left-to-right putt at the second hole to answer Hall’s 15-foot birdie at the first, it had the makings of a duel in the Lytham sun.

And a two-player race for the year’s fourth major was definitely established when both picked up a shot at No. 4 and Pornanong followed Hall in birdying No. 6. That regained a two-shot lead for Pornanong, who had also birdied the par-3 fifth hole.

Hall was always chasing but was given hope when Pornanong bogeyed No. 8 to reduce her lead to one shot. Then, when Hall rolled in a 10-foot birdie putt at No. 13, they were tied for the first time since the first hole.

Hall took the outright lead for the first time in the tournament after a 20-foot putt for birdie at the 16th hole and went down the last with a three-shot lead after Pornanong, ranked No. 97 and also seeking her first major and LPGA title, missed a two-foot putt to make double-bogey at No. 17.

Hall played safe in three-putting from distance in front of Royal Lytham’s storied clubhouse and celebrated her first win on the LPGA Tour. She had never won on the Ladies European Tour, either.

“It is too good to be true,” Hall said. “It was my goal when I was nine to win the British Open. I am so happy.

“I just had to stay calm and patient. It was very close up to the last two holes and I holed all the putts today.”

Ryu So-yeon of South Korea was third on 13 under after a final-round 70.